Metal and alloy electrodeposition for nanotechnology and materials science applications

未来的技术进步将取决于电子和通信设备的可靠性和进一步小型化，使其达到纳米级尺寸，并取决于用于纳米技术、医学科学、传感器等应用的新材料的开发。i）改进用于在半导体工业中制造铜基微电子器件的镶嵌工艺的操作和理解，以及ii）开发新工艺生产形状记忆合金，用于各种各样的应用，如致动器、开关、恒温器和医疗设备，包括支架、腔静脉过滤器、矫形器支架和矫形器框架。这两个项目的共同方法是使用金属和合金涂层的电沉积。电沉积是一种有吸引力的替代更成熟的技术，如化学气相沉积，熔化和铸造，因为它通常更便宜，更灵活，可以在温和的条件下操作，提供更精确的控制零件形状和更有效地使用金属沉积。

Future advances in technology will depend on the reliability and further miniaturization of electronic and communication devices down to nanoscale size and on the development of new materials for applications in nanotechnology, medical sciences, sensors, etc. The proposed research is aimed at these broad needs, but focuses on two projects, in particular: i) improvements to the operation and understanding of the Damascene process used to fabricate copper-based microelectronic devices in the semiconductor industry and ii) development of new processes to produce shape memory alloys for use in a wide variety of applications such as actuators, switches, thermostats and medical devices including stents, vena-cava filters, orthodontal braces and eyeglass frames. The common approach in both projects is the use of electrodeposition of metal and alloy coatings. Electrodeposition is an attractive alternative to more established techniques such as chemical vapour deposition, melting and casting since it is generally cheaper and more flexible, can operate under milder conditions, provides more precise control over part shape and more efficient use of metal being deposited.